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Wyandotte County, Kansas
Wyandotte County ( ; county code WY) is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population was 157,505 for the 2010 census. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City with which it shares a unified government. Wyandotte County forms part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. History The Wyandot The county is named after the Wyandot (also known as Wyandott or Wyandotte) Indians. They were called the Huron by the French in Canada, but they called themselves Wendat. They were distantly related to the Iroquois, with whom they sometimes fought. They had hoped to hold off movement by white Americans into their territory and had hoped to make the Ohio River the border between the United States and Canada. One branch of the Wyandot moved to the area that is now the state of Ohio. They generally took the course of assimilation into Anglo-American society. Many of them embraced Christianity under the influence of missionaries. They were transported to the current area of Wyandotte County in 1843, where they set up a community and worked in cooperation with Anglo settlers. The Christian Munsee also influenced early settlement of this area. The Wyandot in Kansas set up a constitutional form of government that they had devised in Ohio. They set up the territorial government for Kansas and Nebraska. It was one of their own who was elected as territorial governor. Other historical facts The county was organized in 1859.History of Wyandotte County Kansas and its people; Perl W. Morgan; Lewis Publishing; 1911.] Tenskwatawa (Tecumseh's brother), "the Prophet", fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was buried at Shawnee Native American historical site Whitefeather Spring (located at 3818 Ruby Ave., Kansas City, which was added in 1975 to the National Register of Historic Places). The Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company employed over 250 men around the 1880s. The ore and base bullion is received from the mining districts of the mountains and is here crushed, separated and refined. The Delaware Crossing (or "Military Crossing"; sometimes "the Secondine") was where the old Indian trail met the waters of the Kaw River. Around 1831, Moses Grinter (one of the earliest permanent white settlers in the area) set up the Grinter Ferry on the Kansas River here. His house was known was the Grinter Place. The ferry was used by individuals (such as traders, freighters, and soldiers) traveling between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Scott on the military road. Others would cross this area on their way to Santa Fe. The Diocese of Leavenworth moved its see from Leavenworth, Kansas to Kansas City, Kansas on 10 May 1947. It became an Archdiocese on 9 August 1952. Law and government Wyandotte County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1988. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 97.24%) is land and (or 2.76%) is water. It has the smallest amount of land mass of the counties of Kansas. Adjacent counties * Platte County, Missouri (north) * Clay County, Missouri (northeast) * Jackson County, Missouri (east) * Johnson County (south) * Leavenworth County (west) Demographics ]] Wyandotte County's population was estimated to be 154,287 in the year 2008, a decrease of 3,595, or -2.28%, over the previous eight years; Annual estimates of the population to 2008-07-01. Released 2007-03-22. Eight year change is from 2000-07-01 to 2008-07-01. it is the fourth largest county (in population) in the state of Kansas. As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,043 people per square mile (403/km²). There were 65,892 housing units at an average density of 435 per square mile (168/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.18% White, 28.33% Black or African American, 1.63% Asian, 0.74% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.00% of the population. By 2007, 48.1% of Wyandotte County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 26.3% of the population was African-American. Native Americans made up 0.6% of the population. Asians were 1.8% of the population. Latinos made up 21.7% of the county's population. There were 59,700 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.10% were married couples living together, 17.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.24. In the county the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,784, and the median income for a family was $40,333. Males had a median income of $31,335 versus $24,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,005. About 12.50% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over. According to this statistical abstract, approximately 1.4% of the county's residents use public transportation to get to work. This is actually the highest percentage in the state. http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/KSA37.pdf Cities and towns Incorporated cities Name and population (2007 U.S. Census estimate): * Kansas City, 142,320 (county seat) * Bonner Springs, 7,069, of which about 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) lies within Johnson County * Edwardsville, 4,463 * Lake Quivira, 935, of which a quarter of the city lies within Wyandotte County, the majority being in Johnson County Unincorporated places * Argentine, formerly a city, annexed by the city of Kansas City in 1910. * Armourdale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886. * Armstrong, a town absorbed by Wyandotte. * Piper, annexed by the city of Kansas City in 1991. * Rosedale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1922. * Turner * Wyandotte, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886. * Welborn Townships Wyandotte County has a single township. The cities of Bonner Springs, Kansas City, and Lake Quivira are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the township. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. } |- |colspan=9|Sources: |} Education Colleges and universities Public * Kansas City Kansas Community College (Web site) * University of Kansas Medical Center (Web site) Private * University of Saint Mary (Web site) * Donnelly College (Web site) School Districts * Turner USD 202 * Piper USD 203 * Bonner Springs USD 204 * Kansas City USD 500 Private schools Primary * All Saints Grade School * St. Patrick's Grade School * Christ the King Grade School Secondary * Bishop Ward High School (Web site) Other schools * Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) (Web site) Economy Village West, located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 (11 miles from Downtown KCK), is a development that has significantly fueled growth in KCK and Wyandotte County. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, its attractions and retailers include The Legends At Village West, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, and CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home to the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association and Sporting Kansas City Major League Soccer team. Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a resort and waterpark, is scheduled to open across I-435 from Village West in 2009. Also within the area are The Woodlands (race track) (featuring both greyhounds and horses which closed in 2008), Sandstone Amphitheater, the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Wyandotte County Park, and Sunflower Hills Golf Course. See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Wyandotte County, Kansas References Further reading * "Historic Preservation". Kansas City, Kansas, Urban Planning & Land Use * Sween, "Argentine Pictures". Interactive Genealogy. Pictorial History of Wyandotte County, KS. * "Historical Wyandotte County". Kansas Heritage, Kansas Community Network. * "Wyandotte County". Kansas State Library. * "Views of the Past". Kansas City, Kansas Bicentennial Commission. * Sween, "Bonner Springs and Edwardsville". Virtual Bonner Springs, KS. ;State * History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook) * Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook) External links ;Official * Unified government for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas * Kansas City, KS/Wyandotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau * Wyandotte Economic Development Council ;Maps * 2008 Wyandotte County Map, KDOT * 2011 Kansas Highway Map, KDOT * 2011 Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT * 2005 Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE Category:Counties of Kansas Category:Wyandotte County, Kansas Category:Established in 1859 Category:Counties of Kansas on the Missouri River